Computer security
I have collected some great links about computers and the internet and how to use them.Before we get to them though and before you use the internet, I recommend strongly that you get 4 pieces of software to protect your computer, mostly free.
A virus protector
You really need to invest in this most important piece of software. Don't forget to schedule this piece of software to run by itself every day. Your virus protector should also have information on its web site about how to rid your computer of worms and trojans. These are not always picked up as viruses. I currently use a free one called AVG, but I'm still testing it's reliabitility. Another free anti- virus and firewall has been recommended to me called Comodo
A Firewall
I use Zone
Alarm. It's free.
An ad detector and remover
I use Ad-aware personal. It's free.
A spyware detector
I use Spybot.
It is free.
Another program is Malwarebytes'
Anti- Malware
You must run these programs regularly.
Use Firefox as your browser, not Internet Explorer. You will get far fewer viruses and other nasties. You can download from the button top left.
For parents: I know you are worried about what your kids get to see on the internet. Scandoo works in a different manner than anything else. When you use it to search, it first scans the results for any malicious content. It classifies each site into a different category as well. For example, sexual content sites, gambling sites, etc. If the site contains anything harmful, it gives you a danger warning.
Getting started with it is very simple. Before you can use it, you just need to configure your security settings. Click on the link at the top of the page that says Security Preferences. This will take you to the spot where you can personalize your settings. Essentially, it displays different categories of Web sites that you might find offensive, so you can select the ones that you dislike the most and Scandoo will flag them for you. It also has an option called "Family Guardian," which quickly selects the settings with the aim of keeping offensive information away from children who use the search engines.
Maintaining computers
I have had computers die and lost all my data. You must either back
up everything you do with a CD burner or USB stick manually or use
some of these very useful products.
Email back up
ZipBackup is an easy, yet powerful tool for backing up your data to standard Zip files - the most common type of compressed file. ZipBackup's Wizard makes backups a snap for beginners, and advanced filtering and scheduling make it a powerful tool for experts. You can back up to a hard drive, CD, DVD, floppy disk, removable drive or over a network. ZipBackup spans multiple disks automatically. ZipBackup even allows you to create Incremental and Differential backups so you only need to backup files that have changed. Try ZipBackup free for 30 days. You won't want to use a computer without it.
Also, make sure you go and get updated patches for Windows Operating systems as worms tend to attack this OS.
Should you be up to reformatting, I have found that backing up email and reloading it almost impossible. Here is a back-up utility that does it all for you. You should probably use it anyway as a form of backing up emails when you are backing up other data. You should do this frequently.
For as long as you have used a computer, you have known you should backup your data. Great advice, but easier said than done. Backup programs have come and gone, are confusing, and use proprietary formats to store your data.
Now here are some great links for the new computer user.
How to copy and paste with keyboard or mouse
Create voice e-mails with Voice E-Mail Pilot Do you have to type e-mails all day long? Hey, your e-mail does not have to be typed - you can create voice e-mails. And Voice E-Mail Pilot is the program that will let you do this. Your voice e-mail will let your addressee know how you feel better than the smiley face. You also can use the program as voice notes manager. You can sort your voice notes by subject, filter them, and save in different files. Voice E-Mail Pilot can automatically stop recording when you stop talking, which makes your notes free of unnecessary pauses.
Computers for beginners links
ABCs of computing
Basics of Computing or Computer Help for People Over 50
History of the internet and the world wide web
Hardware definitions of computers
Some great tips for Windows users
Help with Windows XPYou have Vista? I can't help you. I never upgraded to it as it was never really recommended.
The Internet
Download movies, DVDs, games
I
got a computer way back when. I was linked to the internet, before the
school I taught in had it. So I learned about computers first and then
as I was a teacher librarian I learned a computer system which we used
to computerize the stock. We had to teach students and teachers how to
use it. How to search. At home I was learning to use HTML and images on
the site I had back then. When the school was ready to create a site for
itself I was all for it and wanted to do it. However, the job was given
to the computer techie of course. After I left that school and at another
I had much more access to the internet and collected many sites suitable
for students and teachers to assist with their learning. Then, after retirement
I started learning web design and as I did, being a teacher, I developed
some tutorials, which you will find on this site. I also take photos.
